Rio 2016 scams - how not to get stung

A report from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has led Action Fraud - the UK's national fraud reporting service - to issue a warning over Rio 2016-related scams.

The report found the Rio 2016 Olympic name is increasingly appearing in lottery, financial investment and ticket scams.

The increased prevalence is a sure sign that fraudsters are seeking to capitalise on increased publicity in the build up to the Olympics later this summer.

Letters and emails informing people they have won cash prizes, or tickets to Rio, have been reported to Action Fraud, who advise the public never to respond to an email or letter from a lottery they don’t recall entering.

Analysts Tatyana Shcherbakova and Andrey Kostin from security firm Kaspersky reported that fake ticketing scams as well as lottery emails reporting to come from the Brazilian Government or International Olympic commission began to ramp up in numbers last year.

These fake websites can look legitimate, even appearing to have valid security certificates - so take care.

Online ticket fraud rose 55 per cent last year and sports fans looking to attend the games in Brazil will be obvious targets for criminals.

An Action Fraud statement advises: “Always check the authorised sellers list which is published for the Rio Olympics. The authorised sellers list can be found here and the legal ticket guide relating to the resale of tickets can be found here.”